Samsung will end support for Samsung Messages and transition users to Google Messages

Samsung is retiring its in-house messaging app and plans to move people over to Google Messages, with the switch set for July 2026. Expect the old app to fade out as the company nudges users toward the replacement.

After July the Samsung Messages app won't be offered in the Galaxy Store; some newer phones—e.g., the Galaxy S26 family—already can’t install it. That change is happening now for devices sold with newer firmware.

Phones running Android 12 and above (i.e., Android 12+) are the ones affected; according to Samsung, older models are not covered by this discontinuation. So if your handset is a few years old, the status quo may persist for a while.

Wearables using Tizen OS will behave differently: you’ll still be able to read and send new messages, but full conversation history won't sync to the watch. That’s inconvenient for anyone who relies on past threads while on the go.

On some Samsung handsets released before 2022 there may be temporary RCS chat hiccups until everyone in a chat moves to Google Messages; plain SMS and MMS should keep working normally. In short: RCS features might pause, but basic texting will continue.